In this essay I will be discussing how Jane Austen approaches the themes of marriage and breeding in the novel Pride and Prejudice.

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Introduction

Pride and Prejudice In this essay I will be discussing how Jane Austen approaches the themes of marriage and breeding in the novel Pride and Prejudice. I shall also be talking about the social, historical and cultural background to the novel. Jane Austen was born in 1775, into an upper class family. Wealth and class are key issues for the time, but at the time at which the novel is set the relationships between classes is beginning to break down. For centuries, England's economy depended on agriculture, and usually wealthily people owned large country estates. With the industrial revolution, however, wealth began to concentrate in the cities. During Jane Austen's life she stayed single and spent much of her life writing and going to fashionable parties like the one Miss Bennet and Mr Darcy assemble at . Jane Austen observes the biased views of marriage of the upper social class in the novel. "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Is the ironic suggestion that Jane Austen begins Pride and Prejudice with. ...read more.

Middle

Elizabeth is firstly set up with Mr. Collins, her cousin. He is given the choice out of all the girls and is quite taken by Elizabeth's older sister but quickly focus his attention on Elizabeth when he is told she is taken. Elizabeth however, does not believe in marriage for a gain in wealth, but for genuine love and affection. The structure and style that Jane Austen used was very detailed and she could construct a plot well. The story shows the different stages of two young people (Elizabeth and Darcy) falling in love when they really don't want to, whilst the other characters events are shown at the same time. In the first part of the book Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth hate each other, then Mr. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth and asks her to marry him, but she rejects his offer. In the second part Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy overcome both of their pride and prejudice's, develop a better understanding of each other and eventually get married. The main plot of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's love story is centred around Mr. Bingly and Jane's love story along with Charlotte Lucas and Mr. ...read more.

Conclusion

It also shows Mrs. Bennett is not used to having servants and was brought up in a common way. In reflection, Elizabeth always speaks with thought and is not overly talkative. We can assume that Jane Austen thought herself to be an intelligent observer of her society as she speaks through the character of Elizabeth, who is intelligent and is the character who mainly observes her society. '...it would be wise in me to refrain from that.' Here Elizabeth shows that she understands when to keep quiet or not to do something. Through what the characters say and do, Jane Austen shows irony by making many of them seem polite, such as Elizabeth, but in reality they are laughing at the things going on around them. Mr. Bennett is an excellent example of this, as his wife thinks he is agreeing with her, when actually he is just mocking her. In conclusion, Elizabeth manages to overcome her mother's objections to the pomposity and deign of her long-time adversary, Mr Darcy, and find true love. The book is full of minor characters who mostly marry for the wrong reasons. Charlotte married for status, Lydia married for physical attraction and Mrs Hirst married for money. But the Bennett sisters are manipulated by Jane Austen to marry for the only thing worth marrying for true love. By Ashling Ledden 11d 1 ...read more.

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Chapter 16 exhibits Elizabeth's willing prejudice against Darcy, as she instantly presupposes that Wickham is telling the truth about his victimization at the hands of Darcy. Additionally, Chapter 33 ironically, shows Elizabeth, after Fitzwilliam's account of Darcy's influence on Bingley, even more injured and set against Darcy than ever because of his prejudice.

Once or twice she could discern a faint blush; but in general Charlotte wisely did not hear." Charlotte wishes a short courtship and a speedy marriage as she has no respect for Mr Collins and distances herself from him whenever possible, such as when she encourages him to take up gardening so as to free herself from his nuisances indoors.

She tries to keep her husband out of the way, for example, by encouraging him to do the gardening, 'when Mr Collins was forgotten there was a great comfort throughout'. But she is always loyal to him. She never says anything bad about her husband.

They did not understand each other's characters and their marriage has faded with age. Austen has written about the marriage of Lydia and Wickham, which is destined to fail, to show her moral views of a marriage are correct. The four things she describes as an ideal marriage are not

This use of language would almost certainly be hindering likelihood of Elizabeth agreeing to the marriage even though he doesn't realise it. Mr.Collins refers to Lady Catherine de Bourgh frequently throughout the proposal and adds her into his reasons for marriage.

Obviously, Lydia and Wickham's marriage is an example of a bad marriage in the nineteenth century. Their marriage is based on good looks, appearances and youthful vivacity. There affection for one another is described by the narrators voice in chapter fifty-one, 'Wickham's affection for Lydia was just what Elizabeth had expected to find it; not equal to Lydia's for him.'

Both partners in this relationship show a constant loving devotion for one another. Jane is unwilling to see fault in anyone, which leaves her vulnerable at times, as she is not prepared to fight for 'love', which is typical of women of Austen's time.

the reader would assume Darcy to be proud and cold-hearted after hearing a malicious comment, through which Darcy also shows prejudice towards Elizabeth. Darcy shows prejudice because he also judged Elizabeth not long after meeting her.